1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for bathing body parts, such as the feet or hands.
2. Background Art
Most people experience foot problems at some time in their lives. This is not surprising, considering that many people are employed in jobs that require them to be on their feet all day. In fact, even an average day of walking can exert force equal to several hundred tons of pressure on the feet.
In an attempt to alleviate a variety of podiatric problems, bathing of the feet has become a recognized therapeutic method. For example, soaking soothes the feet and aids in recovery from fatigue. Bathing of the feet also stimulates the circulation of blood therethrough, which results in increased metabolism and excretion. In addition, foot bathing facilitates the removal of painful growths such as calluses, bunions, and corns.
Many types of footbaths have been utilized as therapeutic devices for the feet. Typically, footbaths provide heated water for which the temperature is maintained via electrical means. In addition, current footbaths often provide massage to the feet through vibration of the footbath. Vibratory massage enhances the therapeutic results achieved with soaking alone by further increasing circulation, as well as relaxing and massaging the muscles.
In addition to vibratory massage, a footbath may employ the use of water jets to provide concentrated massage to different areas of the feet. Often the jets recirculate water within a bath chamber of the footbath, and thus, the jets are oriented within the bath chamber for proximity to the water source. The jets that are oriented within the bath chamber are often directed transversely from sidewalls of the bath chamber, or upwards from a platform of the bath chamber.
Alternatively, the prior art has offered immobile foot washing apparatuses that direct water in a downward direction. The immobile foot washing apparatuses are often complex and do not share the benefits of compactness, mobility and price, as do the conventional footbaths with water jets. Further, due to these drawbacks, immobile foot washing apparatuses are generally not targeted to the consumer market.
When marketing footbaths to the consumer market, it is important to display features of the product, particularly at the point of sale. Packaging and advertising are often beneficial for conveying information about a product's features. However, it is common that retailers may market footbaths by displaying the actual products outside of the packaging. Thus, it is beneficial if a consumer may identify features of a product by viewing the product. For example, the pressurized water massage effect of water jet footbaths may be apparent due to the orientation of the water jets in the side walls or the platform of the bath chamber.
Therefore, a need exists for a bath apparatus having a fluid output for providing a fluid massage effect, wherein the location of the fluid output is not limited by proximity to the bath chamber, yet the bath apparatus may be compact and mobile. Additionally a need exists for a bath apparatus having a fluid output that provides a desired fluid massage effect wherein this feature is viewable externally without limiting the location of the output.